1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus capable of automatically determining the image direction.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in reading an image on an original document using an image processing apparatus and converting the data into image data, the image data is recognized and stored along in the direction of the original document independent of the direction of the image on the original document. When image data need be recognized and stored in a direction different from the direction the original document, or images on originals set in various directions need be output in one direction, the user need to display the images on a computer display and then set each direction, one at a time. Therefore, the operation is very troublesome.
The present applicant has proposed a solution in Japanese Patent-Laid Open No. 8-212298. The solution is a method comprising a step of recognizing character data in image data, a step of determining the document direction on the basis of the character recognition result, and a step of rotating the image data automatically to arrange the image in the document direction.
However, in the above technique, timing for outputting the image direction determination result is not controlled on the basis of the timing of image input, such as at the time of the original reading, and the end of image direction determination processing must be waited for.
For example, the start of image reading operation for the next original is delayed by the time required for the series of operations by the document direction determination means to execute character recognition and determine the document direction. For this reason, especially when originals are continuously fed to the image processing apparatus by an automatic document feeder section and converted into image data, the productivity (read count per unit time) may be considerably lower than when compared to processing without document direction determination.
The present invention has been made to solve the above problem, and has as its object to provide an image processing apparatus capable of determining the document direction while maintaining high productivity. It is another object of the present invention to provide a convenient image processing apparatus capable of switching between priority of document direction determination accuracy or document reading productivity.
In order to achieve the above objects, according to the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus characterized by comprising image input means for inputting image data, image direction determination means for determining the image direction of the image data input by the image input means, and control means for controlling the image direction determination means to output an image direction determination result at a predetermined timing based on operation of the image input means.
According to the present invention, there is also provided an image processing apparatus characterized by comprising image input means for inputting image data, image direction determination means for determining an image direction of the image data input by the image input means, and control means for, when input of second image data is started by the image input means during image direction determination processing for first image data input by the image input means, controlling the image direction determination means to output an image direction determination result of the first image data at that time point and start image direction determination processing for the second image data.
According to the present invention, there is also provided an image processing method characterized by comprising the image input step of continuously inputting a plurality of images, the image direction determination processing step of determining an image direction of a first image input in the image input step, an interrupt step of interrupting the image direction determination processing step in accordance with an input timing of a second image in the image input step, and the determination result output step of outputting image directions determined until the interrupt.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a computer-readable memory characterized by comprising a program module of the image direction determination processing step of determining an image direction, a program module of the interrupt step of interrupting the image direction determination processing step, and a program module of the determination result output step of outputting image directions determined until the interrupt.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a computer-readable memory which stores control program modules for controlling image direction determination means for determining an image direction of image data, characterized by comprising a program module of the detection step of detecting input of an image whose image direction is to be determined by the image direction determination means, and a program module of the instruction step of instructing the image direction determination means to output an image direction determination result at a predetermined timing in response to image input detected in the detection step.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures thereof.